


It would be too sweet for you!

by sssssssim



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Coffee Shop, M/M, i think i drifted off from that idea at some point, ish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-29
Updated: 2013-02-02
Packaged: 2017-11-27 11:07:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/661279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sssssssim/pseuds/sssssssim
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set after S3 (?), Alpha pack is gone and Stiles is left with the aftermath. He takes an year off after finishing highschool, and gets a job at a coffee shop. Slowly, but surely, Derek ends up having his coffee with Stiles on a daily basis.<br/>~<br/>This will not be that good, not really. It doesn't really have a plot, it feels like just a bunch of bits and bobs. But still :).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Alice and her Wonderland

**Author's Note:**

> This is for Vici. No beta, so all mistakes are because of me. If you point them out, I'll be happy to change them :).

Stiles woke up to the sound of his alarm.

‘Ughhhh I hate Mondays’. Some things never change.

But a lot of things do. And a lot of things did this past couple of years.

Werewolves were a real thing. Scott was one of them. They fought with Peter, and they’d won. They fought with the Kanima, and they’d won. They fought with the Alpha pack, and they’d won. They finished highschool, even though the last year was hell, because of the Alpha pack that was constantly attacking them. But they did it, they were alive, and they graduated. They got into college. Jackson, Lydia and Boyd moved to New York. Alison moved to Washington with her parents. Everybody else stayed at Beacon Hills College. They were all part of Derek’s pack. Peter, Isaac, Erica, Scott and Stiles. Jackson, Lydia and Boyd too, even though they were away most of the time. They trained together and held pack meetings once a week. Evil things were silent now, so the pack meetings slowly turned into movie nights.

They were in a good place. Things were good. But Stiles was Stiles, and his coping mechanism broke a long time ago. He kept smiling and making his usual bad jokes, but the constant fear didn’t go away. And his ADD was getting worse. His doctor changed his medication, but Stiles knew it was going to be a slow process. So he spoke to his father and they made a decision.

Stiles was going to take an year off, not go to college just yet. He’ll spend this time trying to calm himself down and to make his brain to function normally again. Well, that part of his brain that did the school work. Cause everything else seemed to be in order. No memory loss, no blackouts, no headaches, no nothing. But Stiles got bored easily; he couldn’t stand just to stay at home. So he got a job.

Alice was the sister of one of the Sheriff’s deputies. She bought the old coffee shop across the street from the hospital and offered Stiles the job as her second in command, of a staff of two. The shop was small, so they didn’t need more people. They’d take turns working the coffee machine and baking and cleaning and all the things that needed to be done.

Stiles was skeptical at first. ‘That old coffee shop? It… hasn’t been open for at least six years.’

‘I know’, Alice argued. ‘But, see, that’s the thing! Even you remembered it! It’s a small town, and people tend to remember these things. Everybody loved it back then. They’ll come back because of that memory and they’ll be pleasantly surprised with what we’ve done with it.’

‘We?’ Stiles was very skeptical now. This was the first time he’d met Alice. He was just bringing his Dad some lunch at the station and the next thing he knew, this incredibly attractive, slightly older woman was … proposing things. Quickly. Like, she was talking as fast as Stiles.

‘Yes, we. Look, most of it is already done. I’ve repainted, put in all the furniture and the equipment, I’ve even decorated, we have pictures and paintings and even an office! I’d have to teach you how to work with everything, but your father said you were a fast learner, so I’m sure that won’t be a problem. And while you figure things out, and we get into a normal rhythm of things and work up a schedule, I just have to buy the mugs, and brand them. Oh, yeah, we’d have to think of a name too.’

Stiles was shocked, to say the least. He wanted to do this, it would be a nice change and it might help him. But…

‘You seem way too optimistic about this. You don’t know me, I literally have two left hands.’

Alice laughed. ‘Ok, so you’ll break a few mugs. That’s fine, I’ll cut it off your salary. Look. I’m guessing there must be a reason why such a smart kid like you wouldn’t want to go to college straight after highschool. My brother told me a lot about you since he got the idea.’

‘Oh, it… I thought this was my dad’s idea.’

‘Nope. He just complained about you not finding a decent enough job. And my brother told me. So. Here’s what I know. You’re smart and compassionate and incredibly curious. You have ADD so you tend to talk a lot. But I was a teacher for a year and I can manage that. I also know how a brain with ADD works, so I will have no problem in answering your ridiculous questions or spending hours in complete silence. You work hard when you set your mind to it, so I’m sure you will do a great job. You’ve been through a lot of shit in the past year, so you need a break from all the drama. You’re funny and you’re wearing a Batman t-shirt.’

‘What does that have to do with anything?’

‘Batman’s awesome.’

Stiles just stared. Well, no, he studied Alice. She was a beautiful redhead with a funky, short hair cut and bright green eyes. She had way too many piercing in her years and one in her lower lip. Her nails were painted black and she was wearing a short leather skirt. Of course, she reminded him of Erica.

‘Look, Stiles. You don’t have to do this just for your Dad. I’m not doing this for your Dad, I hope you get that. But I think it would be good for you. And it would be good for me.’

‘Then… why are you doing this?’

‘Cause you seem like fun?' She ruffled his hair. 'Yup. Fun. And I know you’ll do the job. I need someone like you, this is my pet project, you know? I’ve invested a lot of things into it, not just money. And yeah, I want it to turn out great, but I also wanna feel good about doing it. So. Fun.’

Stiles bit his lower lip. ‘Ok.’

‘Yay! But remember, kid. I’m your boss. You have to act like it!’

‘Yes, boss!’

And with a laugh and a handshake, Stiles was hired. A month later, in the middle of the summer, Stiles’ alarm woke him up on a Monday morning.

‘Ughhhh, I hate Mondays.’ It was the opening day for the coffee shop.

┘└

This past month of getting things prepared, Stiles got to know Alice. She was as a geek as he was and had impeccable taste in music. The reason she bought the coffee shop was because she just got out of a long and bad relationship and she didn’t know what she was going to do with the rest of her life. So she spend every money she had on this, knowing it was going to be a success and knowing it will last her a lifetime. Stiles also figured out that Alice was a very optimistic person. She did remind him of Erica a lot, because as nice as she was, she could be very … bad. Evil. Borderline evil. But not evil-evil, like a kanima, for example, but like a… woman-evil. Which was way scarier.

With that in mind, Stiles proposed to name the coffee shop ‘Wonderland’.

‘You’re kidding me, right?’

‘No, Alice, no, hear me out. I know it sounds very clisheic because your name is Alice, and what not, but it fits. It fits you. And the shop! Look at it! The walls are painted with hot pink and teal, the couches are purple, the chairs are yellow and all the dishes will be red. It looks insane. A great insane, everybody’s gonna love it, but it needs a fitting name. And ‘Wonderland’ isn’t just because your name is Alice, but because you are Alice! The Alice! From the story! This coffee shop is you going into the rabbit hole and seeking change and coming out a better person, more mature and…. Yeah.’

‘You’re insane. And a genius.’

The boy frowned. ‘So. Wonderland?’

‘Yeah... Wonderland. I like it! How are you with Photoshop?’

‘Uhm… Decent. Why?’

‘I want three different logo designs by tomorrow, so we can get started on the brandings. Mugs, plates. T-shirts, towels and a sign.’

Stiles grinned. ‘Yes, boss!’

┘└

The first week went on perfectly. Stiles worked 8 to 5 and he was good at his job! The customers liked the coffee and the pastries he made and business was blooming. He got into a routine and it was nice. His dad came by when he could, hell, half of the police station got their coffee from Wonderland, even if it was on the opposite side of town. Scott and Isaac came by a few times after training, and the first time, they moaned when they tasted the coffee Stiles made for them. Alice couldn’t stop giggling behind the counter.

Friday night he went to the weekly pack meeting. Well, movie night. Peter was the only one to ask him how the coffee shop was doing, and Stiles answered politely. He trusted Peter now, they were… friends? No. They were pack. A lot of things changed, especially after the year of hell with the Alpha pack.

Like Derek. Well, his relationship with Stiles, to be more precise. Stiles was still constantly babbling and picking on him, and Derek was still constantly rolling his eyes and calling him names. But there was no more hitting-Stiles-with-a-wall action. All touching was now made in a comforting matter, like Derek did with all of the pack. Because Stiles was pack. The Alpha told him that, after the boy saved his life for the nobody-remembers-a-number time. And he thanked Stiles. And Stiles couldn’t breathe for a week after that.

Also, Derek did change. A lot. He was better. He wasn’t just their Alpha, he was their friend. After things with the Alpha pack calmed down, he opened up a lot to his pack, he actually let his personality show. He stopped looking at them just as wolves, and started seeing them as people, as well as acting perfectly his role as an Alpha. So, the way Stiles saw it, the training they did in the woods was hard and thorough, and the movie nights they did at Derek’s new house were fun. And the whole pack seemed content.

The Alpha and Peter decided they weren’t going to renovate the old Hale house. It would have been too much of a trouble, and even though none of them would admit it, Stiles knew they weren’t emotionally prepared for that. So, they were building a new house, closer to the road. It wasn’t as big as the old one, and right now, only the bottom floor was finished and livable. But it already feel like a home, and Derek even invested in a huge tv for movie nights.

But something was off with the Alpha this pack meeting, Stiles could sense it. He asked Scott, but he just shrugged. So Stiles didn’t push it. He just sat on the couch, Erica’s feet on his lap, and read his book, while the rest of the pack watched a movie he’d already seen. Derek was working on something in the kitchen , but every now and then, he would come and sit next to Stiles on the couch’ armrest. He’d just sit there for a while, and then would walk back to the kitchen.

Before he left that night, Stiles just stood by his jeep for a few minutes. Of course Derek was out of the house 2 minutes later.

‘What’s wrong?’

‘I don’t know, Derek, what is wrong?’

Derek raised an eyebrow.

‘You’re…  a bit off today.’

‘I’m fine.’

‘No, you’re not. You spent all the evening in the kitchen except every now and again when you came in for 2 minutes. Like clockwork. Ever time, 2 minutes on the couch. So. What happened?’

‘Nothing happened. I was just thinking a bit more than usual.’

‘What about?’                            

‘It’s doesn’t concern you.’

Stiles rolled his eyes. ‘Ok, whatever you say, sourwolf. You say you’re fine, and, well, of course you’re fine. It’s not like anybody ever said that when they weren't actually fine.’

Derek was glaring at him. Then he sighed and spoke in a low voice. ‘You do realize I am never going to be fine, right?’

Stiles bit his lower lip. ‘Yes. But you will be as fine as one can be. You were as fine as one can be last week. But you weren’t as fine as one can be today.’

The Alpha crooked his eyebrows. ‘That… made no sense.’

‘Yes, yes it did, think it through. Look, ok, I get that you have things you want to think about, of course I get that. I was just… trying to make sure you’re ok. That you’re not gonna do something stupid or that Peter’s not planning something stupid or that we don’t have another death threat on our hands.’

Derek put a hand on Stiles’ shoulder. ‘We’re good. Don’t worry. Now go home, and leave me alone. I mean it. Stop bugging me.’

Stiles grinned. ‘Yes, master’.

┘└

Next Monday was horrible. Stiles was having a really bad day and he couldn’t focus on anything and had a massive headache. Fortunately, Alice was there to help him out though the rush of a morning. It was noon now, and things were slow. He felt better, after his meds kicked in.

‘Hello, what can I get you?’, Stiles asked his next customer without actually looking up. He still had to focus a bit harder to work the register right.

‘Big latte macchiato, soy milk, caramel, almond and vanilla flavor, two shots of espresso and extra cream’.

When Stiles looked up, he saw Derek giving him his usual death glare.

‘No.’                            

‘No?’, and Derek’s eyebrows were so high, they were almost hidden by his hair.

‘Stiles, that is no way to talk to customers!’, Alice spoke in a low voice and grabbed his arm.

‘I know that, I’m not that far off!’, Stiles almost screamed at his boss, and she just tightened the grip on his hand.

‘Look, he usually has his coffee black with just half a spoon of milk. Sometimes, he adds cinnamon. He really wouldn’t like what he ordered; it would be too sweet for him.’

Alice rolled her eyes. She let go of Stiles’ hand and slapped the back of his head. ‘Fuck you, Stiles! Just… let me know when you’re serving friends so I’ll know you’re not having a complete mental meltdown, ok?’

Stiles stuck his tongue out. ‘Yes, boss.’

‘So, Derek. I’m thinking you could have a latte, maybe with some Irish Cream flavor, and I’ll even put an extra espresso shot in it if you really want it.’

Derek cleared his throat and looked down at his shoes. ‘Okay.’

For a second, Stiles thought Derek looked embarrassed. He ignored it, and started making the coffee. When he was done, he wrote ‘Jerk’ on his cup.

Derek took it and gave Stiles a small smirk. ‘Bitch’.

And then he was walking to the door, leaving Stiles in a mess of limbs and flustered thoughts, screaming after his Alpha: ‘Do you even watch Supernatural?’


	2. Mugs, Coffees and Talks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The amount of coffee that Derek drinks is increasing.

For the next month or so, Derek got his coffee from Wonderland at least two times a week. And it was always on Stiles’ shift. He never stayed; they never properly talked about anything. On Fridays, he’d usually give Stiles more money, so he would bring coffee at the pack meeting. People loved the coffee they served, so it wasn’t just the pack and the officers stopping by for it. Stiles would see people from school, teachers, people he knew from the hospital and so on and so forth. Things were good.

But today was a Monday, and it was the first day of college for all of his friends. Stiles wasn’t feeling bad, not really. He knew this day was going to come around, and he prepared for it. Plus, Scott knew Stiles’ plan, and he surely passed it on to the rest of the pack, so it wasn’t a big deal. It just meant that his friends wouldn’t have enough time to come by the coffee shop as much as they used to. And that was a sad thing. Stiles just hoped that the movie nights will still be respected.

And, of course, while he thought all of this, Derek came in the coffee shop. He had his sunglasses on, a big smile on his face and a book in his hands. Stiles couldn’t read the title.

‘Heeeeey, Derek. The usual?’

‘Yeah. But uhm… Put it in a mug. A… normal mug, not a cardboard one.’

‘Yeah, sure.’ Stiles was not sure, was something wrong with Derek? ‘Uhm. Go have a seat, I’ll bring it to you.’

Derek slowly walked to the far end of the coffee shop, sitting in one of the chairs of a table for three, the one near the window. When Stiles got to him with his coffee and a chocolate cupcake, Derek was reading his book and tapping his finger to the table in an uneven rhythm.

‘Here you go.’

Derek smiled. ‘I didn’t order a cupcake.’

Stiles winked at his Alpha. ‘That’s VIP treatment, buddy, cause, you know, we’re friends. But don’t tell anyone, they’d be expecting it constantly. And I think the budget only allows me one a day.’

‘Yeah, okay. Your secret’s safe with me.’

‘Gooood’, Stiles whispered. ‘So, I have to get back to work but, uhm. Are you ok?’

‘Yes, why wouldn’t I be?’ Derek narrowed his eyes and Stiles’ heart might have skipped a beat because his feelings always had a problem with beautifully colored eyes.

‘I don’t know, dude, you don’t usually… you know… actually… stay here to… uhm… drink your coffee’, Stiles explained, hands gesturing all over the place, one of them ending up scratching on the pack of his neck.

Derek rolled his eyes. ‘Isaac’s at school and Peter started painting his bedroom. Again. And I think he’s… building something, because I heard the drill. And I really just wanted to read a book in silence.’

‘Silence? In a coffee shop? Really?’

The Alpha actually pouted at that. ‘It’s better than a drill. Well, it would be, if you’d stop drilling into my brain.’ He composed his posture and went back to his classic death glare that Stiles was so used to.

‘God damn it, Derek. Now I’m picturing it, it’s a glorious sight!’                                          

Stiles fled the scene before Derek had a chance to rip his throat out.

┘└

The next day, Derek came into the coffee shop 10 minutes after they opened, during the morning rush. He took his coffee to go. The day after that, he drank coffee in the afternoon, after Isaac and Scott had to return to their classes. Next Monday, he drank a coffee in the morning and a tea after lunch.

The next day, Stiles received a text from Derek, right as he got to work, asking him at what hour did he get a break. The boy texted back, just a simple ‘at 2’, because he was busy working.

Of course, at 1:55, Derek came into Wonderland. He leaned over the counter and smiled, that mischievous smile of his that let Stiles know he was up to something.

‘Hi, Derek. Whatdoyouwant?’, the boy asked without taking a breath.

‘The usual. Here, not to go.’

‘U-huh. Sure. Ok. I’m on it.’

‘Thanks’, Derek whispered and made way to his usual table. He didn’t read, like most days he stayed here. He was just looking outside the window and tapping on the table.

‘So, I guess you’ll be having your break now, huh?’ Alice asked mischievously.

Stiles rolled his eyes at her. ‘Well, I think I am, cause I have been taking a break at 2pm since I started working here, a couple of months back.’

‘Yeah, yeah, smartass. Go on. And please, for god’s sake, grab something to eat. If you get any skinnier the wind will literally blow you away. ’

Stiles smiled as innocently as he could at Alice, who was already ignoring him. So he grabbed two chocolate cupcakes and two slices of lemon cake. He put them on a tray, along with Derek’s coffee and his own drink. Slowly, but surely, he made his way to his Alpha’s table.

‘Who says you can sit with me?’, Derek asked after Stiles put down the tray.

‘Uhm… common sense? And, I don’t know, maybe the fact that you texted me today in order to find out when I get a break so you could… you know… be here for it?’

But Derek wasn’t looking at him while he was talking, the wolf was staring at the sweets, like they’ve personally offended him.

‘Cupcakes’, he almost whispered.

Stiles grinned. ‘Yes, cupcakes. Chocolate, your favorite. And lemon cake. I don’t know if you like that, but it turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself. In my books, it’s the best thing there is in this coffee shop at this moment in time.’

Derek still didn’t look convinced, but didn’t say anything when Stiles sat down next to him, rather than on the seat in front of him. Just like Derek, the boy liked looking out the window.

‘And what the hell are you drinking?’, the werewolf asked, crooking his nose.

‘Oh, this?’ Stiles giggled. ‘Personal creation. White hot chocolate, slices of oranges, caramel sauce and pieces of dark chocolate. It’s delicious and you can’t have any.’

‘… Okay?’

‘You can have a cupcake. And cake. Now spill it.’

‘What?’

‘Come on, there has to be a reason you’re here now. Clearly, you want to talk about something. So, talk.’

Derek rolled his eyes. ‘Can I at least put some sugar into my body first?’

‘Fine!’

They both sat in silence while they ate. Derek moaned a bit when he took the first bite of the lemon cake, and Stiles fist pumped the air.

‘That was pretty delicious, I gotta say.’

‘Thank you, Derek. I really appreciate it’, Stiles mocked. ‘Now, how bad is it? What is it? Is it hunters? Is it werewolves? Alphas? Again? Is it something else? Oh god, I really hope you’re not reconsidering what you said at the last meeting. Vampires still aren’t real, right?’

Stiles was snapped back to reality by Derek’s hand on his knee. ‘Calm down, it’s nothing like that. Jeez, your heart’s beating like crazy. Calm down.’

‘Ok. Ok.’ Stiles took a deep breath but Derek didn’t remove his hand from his knee.

‘Stiles. Why aren’t you at school?’

‘Uhm. I don’t go to school anymore?’

‘Yeah. But why?’

Stiles bit his lower lip.

‘I know you’re a smart guy, you could’ve got into any college you would’ve wanted.’

Derek voice was soft and reassuring. Stiles sighed.

‘Look, I… I’m going through a … rough patch, let’s say. My meds weren’t working so well. It’s not bad, it’s not a psycho meltdown. I don’t feel sick, I don’t get headaches, I don’t black out, I can still think like I normally could, but…’

Stiles didn’t know how he could explain to Derek, without reminding the Alpha how much of a week and fragile human he was.

‘You can tell me.’ Derek started making small circles with his thumb on Stiles’ leg. ‘I don’t wanna pull the Alpha card out and tell you that I _need_ to know. But… I need to know. And the pack’s not telling me anything, those basterds.’

Stiles laughed a bit at the sight of Derek pouting. ‘Look, you’re making this way worse than it really is. I just can’t focus on school work anymore. I get distracted way too often and nothing seems to stick. That’s it. But just with schoolwork, that’s the weird thing. I was still able to memorize the bestiary Lydia translated, but I barely could remember the 30 formulas I needed for my math exam. It’s… frustrating. So. I talked to Dad, and he agreed on letting me postpone college. Just this year. And my doctor changed and increased my meds. It’s going well, but it’s still gonna take a while to get fully used to them. I mean… I’m good now. And it’ll get better. It’ll be just fine. Eventually.’

Derek just looked at Stiles for a couple of seconds. It seemed like hours have passed for Stiles. The wolf was still drawing circles on his leg.

‘So you’re not physically sick.’

‘Nope.’

‘Mentally?’

‘Uhm… ADD is a mental condition, yes.’

‘No, I mean. After everything that happened. To you. With us. These past years… Do you think it had anything to do with it?’

Stiles smiled. ‘No, Derek, I’m pretty sure it didn’t.’

‘You’re lying.’

‘Yes, of course I’m lying. Of course it had something to do with it!’ Derek looked incredibly hurt.

‘No, not like that. Stop thinking whatever you’re thinking. It was just that there were… stuff I had to deal with, that were more important that school. And when I tried to actually focus on the last year of highschool, it was hard because I… it wasn’t in my routine anymore. As much as I am a complete spazz, I enjoy having routines, they help me. I managed to do it, take my exams, have good grades, but it was hard and I am sure I couldn’t start to do it all over again in college. Not now. Look, this… This isn’t because of what happened. This is just… a precaution. ’

Derek smiled. ‘What? You, being cautious? Now I know you’re lying your ass off.’

Stiles slapped the wolf’s hand away. ‘I’ll have you know I’m always careful, ok? Gosh, it’s like you don’t know me at all, and that hurts, Derek, it really hurts.’

As he wiped an imaginary tear from his face, Derek chuckled. ‘You’re sure you’re ok?’

‘Yeah. I am. The coffee shop’s going great. I like it here.’

‘I know that, but wouldn’t it be weird when…  they’ll be all finished with school and you’ll still have one year left?’

‘No, cause that’s not gonna happen. See, I already talked to the dean at Beacon Hills College, explained my situation and whatnot. And he told me that they’ll take me next year, anyway. As you said, I’m smart.’ Stiles smiled with a cocky grin. ‘We even discussed my classes. The ones I’ll be taking are higher credited and blablabla, stuffs and things and academic achievements and so on and so forth. Basically, I’ll finish college one year sooner than the rest. So we will be graduating together. Yes, I’m that awesome, don’t look so surprised!’

‘That’s not… I’m surprised you’re not leaving.’

The way Derek whispered that while looking anywhere but at Stiles, startled the boy. ‘I don’t wanna leave. My dad. And you. You guys. I don’t want that.’

Derek looked Stiles right in the eyes, and the boy wondered when they started having staring contests.

‘So. We’re good, Derek? Or do you need to burn a few more holes in my soul with your god damn eyes?’

The wolf chuckled and looked away. ‘We’re good. What classes are you going to take?’

‘History and psychology.’

‘That’s… not what I expected?’

They started talking about why Stiles was taking these classes and the fact that the boy wanted to be a teacher surprised Derek. But after he heard his explanation, the wolf understood, this was just another selfless act. ‘Highschool is a hell of a time, man, you know that. Kids need all the help they can get. I’m not being cocky here, but I do think I can manage that. And, I mean, anything is better than Harris. Or Finstock. Even a spazzy ADD teacher is better than them.’

They kept talking till the coffee shop was crowded again, and Stiles had to go back to work. Derek got another coffee to go and didn’t say any goodbye, he just said ‘see you tomorrow’. Stiles thought that was weird, because tomorrow wasn’t a movie night.

┘└

From this point on, Derek would always be at the coffee shop just in time for Stiles’ break. They’d have coffee, eat whatever goodies Stiles made that day, and talk, about anything but werewolves business. Yes, they would talk about the pack, but it was more gossip than anything else.

‘No, Derek, I’m not mad that Scott and Isaac are a lot closer now. They do take the same classes and Isaac is good for Scott, as good as Scott is for Isaac. And even though we don’t have time to talk or see each other that often, they still come by here every now and then. And I’ll always be Scott’s first! No, not like that, stop laughing, Derek, I meant his first best friend, fuck you, stop laughing!’

‘No, Derek, I really don’t mind Erica, I kinda love her. We’re friends now and I feel like she’s my little sister.’

‘A little sister that hits on you every time she gets.’

‘Yeah, but it’s all fun and games, we’d never, oh god, no, ew, she’s my little sister! I love her like my little sister, we’re just joking around. Plus, I’m pretty sure Boyd would kill me. Twice.’

‘What do you mean you have not seen Zombieland? Disgrace on you! Disgrace on your cow, Derek! YOUR COW! That’s it, we’re seeing Zombieland on Friday! I don’t even care we’ve all seen it multiple times. We’re gonna watch it again!’

‘But really now, what is your favorite tv show or book or whatever! representation of werewolves? Which one do you _feeeeel_ is closest to reality?’

‘I do not believe you, Peter did not paint his room bright pink, oh god, no, you’re joking, please tell me you’re joking. … You’re not joking. Ok. Ok, I’m just gonna go and shoot myself in the eye now.’


	3. Wolves and Humans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek makes two new friends.

It was weird seeing Derek come into Wonderland on a Saturday, at noon, because he’d always have something else to do on weekends, like train his betas or work on the new house.

What was even weirder was seeing Derek come into Wonderland wearing shorts and a black wifebeater, with his ipod strapped on his arm. And he was sweating. He stopped his music as he approached the counter.

‘The usual, here. I’m waiting for Isaac’.

‘Did you… run here?’

‘Jog, Stiles. I jogged.’

‘Why?’

‘So I can pick up Isaac and jog back with him?’

‘I… I will never understand some things. And I’m not even gonna try anymore.’

Derek got out a 5$ bill from under his ipod and handed it to Stiles. ‘Keep the change.’

‘No, we’ve been over this, I am never ever ever gonna do that.’ While Stiles gathered the change, Derek huffed and eyed the coins.

‘Stiles. I literally have nowhere to put it.’

‘I know a place where the sun don’t shine…’

Derek just ignored him and walked to his normal seat as Stiles made his coffee. The shop was almost empty, so the boy figured he could join him at his table until Isaac or another customer arrived.

‘Here’s your coffee, and a bottle of water because hydration is important and a bagel because I will never ever ever gonna keep the change.’

Derek smiled and gave him a soft punch in the arm, as he drank all the water.

Stiles’ heart started to beat a bit faster and the wolf could see the boy was panicking slightly.

‘What’s wrong?’

‘I think you should go. Now. Quick.’

‘What? Why?’ Derek looked outside to the direction Stiles was staring at, but couldn’t see or smell or hear anything.

‘Alice. Is coming here. Now. With her dog.’

‘… So?’

‘I know for a fact that dogs don’t like wolves and they go batshit crazy when they see one and I really don’t want that to happen so please, I’m begging you, just go?’

Derek looked surprised for a few seconds, then he winked. ‘Wrong, dogs just don’t like Scott’.

Before he got a chance to answer, Alice was right next to them and the dog was barking and jumping, trying to get near Derek.

‘Oh god, I am so sorry, I don’t know what’s gotten into her. Rogue, calm down.’

Rogue was a young husky that Alice got a few months ago. She was still small and her fur was all a dark grey color, except for a patch of white, above her right eye. Stiles brought her a dark blue collar, with a big X on it.

Derek smiled. ‘Come on, sweetie, I’ll love you if you behave.’

He picked up Rogue and put her in his lap, which made the barking stop. The Alpha was smiling and scratching behind the dog’s ears, as she kept moving all around and licking any piece of skin she could get her tongue on. Stiles was in shock.

‘Oh my god!’, Alice yelped as she took a seat in the empty chair at the table. ‘She’s not normally like this with new people. It takes her a while to get comfortable with someone. I’m… sorry?’

‘Don’t be, dogs always loved me, and look at her, she’s adorable and so tiny and fluffy, how can I not love her back?’

Derek was swooning. His voice was higher than usual and he left the dog kiss him everywhere she wanted. Alice and Stiles were staring at the sight.

After a couple of minutes, Rogue suddenly calmed down and made her way into Stiles’ lap, yawning. The boy could see the pout on the Alpha’s face, but he will hold his dog jokes back for later usage.

The dog sat silently in Stiles’ lap, and the boy gently petted her fur.

‘Everybody loves Rogue.’

‘I can see that.’ Derek smiled and it was a new sort of smile that Stiles never saw on his Alpha before. It was a very fond smile. Stiles, himself, couldn’t stop smiling.

‘I’m Alice, by the way. Since Stiles here always gets distracted and never introduces us.’

‘Hi. Derek.’

As they shook hands, Stiles could feel his cheeks turning red. ‘I suck. Sorry.’

Alice laughed a little more loudly than she usually does. ‘Tell me something I don’t know.’

‘Shhhh, quiet you mean old lady, we have a sleeping wolf-y over here. You must have tired her too much, Rogue’s already asleep!’

‘Let me guess’, Derek whispered, leaning forward to Alice. ‘Naming her Rogue was his idea?’

The woman smiled. ‘Yes, but I must state, for Stiles’ sake if not my own, I loved the idea and found it utterly fitting.’

‘I see. Well, besides the trademark hairdo, I must say she does seem to have the determination of a superhero.’

 ‘I think I let her spend too much time with Stiles, it must have rubbed off.’

‘I’ll take that as a compliment, boss.’ Stiles smiled, even though he wasn’t sure Alice was listening to him anymore.

‘So, tell me Derek, what is it? Is the world ending? Or do you have a massive hangover from last nights’ wild party and couldn’t live without coffee? Did Stiles make you come around just so he can bitch about how crazy I am again? Or did you actually miss his stupid face? What are you doing here on a Saturday?’

‘That’ll be my fault.’ Stiles looked up and saw Isaac standing next to him, smiling and being the normal ray of sunshine that he always is. The boy gave Alice a small kiss on the cheek and explained that they will be going to jog back home.

Alice smiled and got up. ‘Ok, you manly men you, I’ll leave you to your manly men activities. Except Stiles. I’m keeping him. He’s not so manly anyway, so you don’t need him.’

‘Heeeeey’ Stiles whined.

‘Ok, give Rogue back.’

‘Nope, you can’t have her. You’re mean.’ The boy bent over the dog, as if it was protecting her with his body.

‘You’re mean, Rogue likes me better, she doesn’t even like you anymore, she told me so.’

‘You’re being a baby.’

‘No, I don’t think so, you’re the baby here, because she clearly said she wants to stay with me, not with you!’

Stiles jerked up and yelped, because someone gave him a slap on the back of his neck. Of course it was Derek, who was now holding Rouge. He put her down and kept playing with her while giving Alice the leash.

‘It was nice meeting you, Rogue. Please don’t ever stop loving me.’ Stiles and Isaac were both laughing silently, even though they could see each other’s shock. ‘You too, Alice.’

‘Yeah, ok, I’ll never stop loving you either.’

Derek quickly stood up and blushed. Which made Stiles laugh even harder.

But then the wolf smiled, the same type of smile he used at the police station that one time, so fake and so flirty and so incredibly attractive. ‘I can go with that, even though I meant that it was nice meeting you too.’

‘Yeah, yeah.’ Alice rolled her eyes. ‘That’s what they all say, but I know you all love me for the dog. And the coffee Stiles gives you.’

‘Hey, I love you for the money you give me!’, Stiles gave her a small side-hug.

After she left, the boys took back their seats, waiting for Derek to finish his coffee.

‘Isn’t she a bit old for you?’, Derek narrowed his eyes at Isaac.

Who was blushing. And smiling. And Stiles thought he really was the cutest puppy of them all.

‘She’s not that old…’

‘What is she? 30? 35?’

’23!’, Isaac gritted his teeth in anger, even though Derek was giggling.

‘Ok, ok’, Stiles interrupted. ‘Isaac, don’t mind him, he’s just being a jerk. He likes Alice. Well, not likes-likes her, obviously, cause you’ve got dibbs on that for some time now, but he just likes playing the older brother card and mess with you.’

‘And why are you so sure I like her?’

Stiles turned his head and gave Derek an incredulous look. ‘Because I’ve been slowly, but surely, giving you little pieces of information about her since I figured out Isaac liked her. And you have always agreed with me, she’s awesome. Well. Except that one time, when you said you didn’t like the lip piercing. And I still don’t believe that is true, because, honestly now, it makes the kissing better. Not that I’ve ever thought about kissing Alice, Isaac, I haven’t, oh god, no, nope, I promise I haven’t.’

When he finished his ramble, Isaac was laughing and Derek’s eyebrows were hidden under his hair.

‘It makes the kissing better.’ the Alpha repeated in a monotone voice.

‘Yup. It totally does. Well. I mean. Now that I think about it, you wolves have heightened everything, so I guess you’ll taste the metal a lot more than me. And I guess you’d also feel the coldness of it for a longer period of time than me. And I think…’

‘Me.’, Isaac interrupted.

‘What?’

‘You said _me_. For a longer time than _me_. Not humans, not people, not us. _Me_.’

Stiles blushed. ‘Damn me and my mouth.’

‘That, apparently, has been on a lip pierced mouth.’ Derek was looking straight into Stiles’ eyes. ‘Long enough for you to figure out when the metal isn’t cold anymore.’

‘Oh, wow, look at the time, I have to go back to work. Or, you know, the boss will kill me with her black painted claws. And you guys have to run back home. So. Yeah. Bye, thanks for stopping by.’

The wolves were both laughing as they got out of the coffee shop. When Stiles slowly whispered ‘One could only imagine how a wolf would feel a tongue piercing’, Derek tripped on his own feet. But, of course, he made a smooth recovery. And Stiles surprised himself by looking at how good Derek’s ass looked in those shorts.

┘└

A couple of days later, Stiles sat down next to Derek with a determined look on his face.

‘So, Derek, what are you doing tomorrow?’

‘Nothing?’

‘Great. So you’ll come over for dinner.’

‘Dinner?’

‘Yes, dinner. I’m cooking.’

Derek smiled. ‘Why?’

‘Well, Dad already knows we’re friends, the whole bunch of us. But, you know, he’s the Sheriff and you’re the older, ex-fugitive guy who hangs out with a group of teenagers after all the shit’s he’s been through. But you’re not going anywhere, so I think it’ll be nice if Dad actually got to know you a bit. And when I say _nice,_ I mean good for me and my sanity. I mean, you don’t have to do it, I understand if you don’t want to. But he already adores Erica and thinks I should marry her, and Scott’s been there, you know, since forever, and he keeps having these really long, boring, conversations with Isaac about fishing of all things, and, you know, you’re kind of next on the list, since everybody else is away for college, and I think Dad really wants to meet you, cause he got a bit excited about the idea so please come? I’ll make good food.’

Derek considered it for a few seconds, looking at where Stiles’ hands were playing with his coffee cup.

‘Should I bring anything?’                                                                                                                                   

Stiles let out a breathe he didn’t realize he was holding. ‘Nope. I got it aaaaaaall covered.’

‘That sounds terrifying, please don’t burn down your house for my sake.’          

‘Hey, that was one time, and I was 12 and only half of the wall got burned.’

Derek’s eyes widened as he leaned closer to Stiles. ‘You’re not kidding.’

‘Be there at 7.’

┘└

Stiles was excited. Very, very excited and a little bit scared. He couldn’t remember the last time he invested so much energy into cooking one dinner, but this was important. He decided he’d do anything in his power to make this perfect, starting with the food.

He was putting cheese on the sweet potatoes when the door bell rang. He rushed to open it, and was startled by the sight of Derek. He wasn’t wearing his leather jacket, which was a shocker on its own, but, also, he was wearing a dark green shirt that made his eyes stand out even more. He looked amazing.

‘You’re staring.’

 ‘Uhm. Yeah. Sorry. Not used to you using the door, I guess. Come on in!’

‘Where’s your dad?’, Derek asked while handling Stiles a bottle of red wine.

‘I told you not to bring anything, but thanks. And he’s still at the station, he should be here soon.’

The Alpha was walking to the kitchen, and Stiles followed him. Derek leaned back on the counter near the sink, as the boy finished up the dinner.

‘It smells delicious. From a block away. Your whole house smells delicious.’

‘Thanks, but that’s a bit creepy.’

‘I’m hungry.’, Derek said and lowered his head, like a 5 year old being caught doing something wrong.

Stiles laughed. ‘Oh, believe me when I tell you it’ll be worth the wait. You know, unless dad decides to kill you 10 minutes in.’

‘I’m pretty sure that won’t happen.’

‘I surely hope so.’

Derek walked over to where Stiles was slicing bread, and put a hand on his back. ‘Will you please calm down? Everything will be fine. I’m gonna behave, your father’s gonna forgive me and even if he does decide to shoot me, he doesn’t have wolfsbane bullets, right?’

Stiles turned around completely and gave Derek a shocked expression. He maintained the expression as he realized Derek’s hand was now on his chest, near his heart.

‘Calm down, Stiles.’, the wolf said in a low voice, looking at his own hand. ‘Your heart beat’s distracting.’

Derek jerked his hand away just as Stiles heard his Dad opening the door.

‘Yo, Dad!’

‘Hey, son. Derek.’

Stiles watched as his Alpha and his Dad shook hands and exchanged pleasantries, like ‘Glad you could make it’ and ‘Thank you for having me’. They were both smiling and it all felt incredibly surreal. But Stiles was determined, he had to be on top of his game for this to work out well.

‘Dad, why don’t you go up and ditch the uniform while Derek helps me set up the table?’

‘Don’t you boss me around!’, his father mocked, but he was already going up the stairs.

┘└

The dinner went surprisingly well. Stiles talked about how good the coffee shop was going and about how awesome Alice is. Derek talked about how he finished the house and how he was thinking about opening a bookshop.

‘I’ve been thinking about it for a while, to be honest. Ever since I went to Wonderland and saw the vacant space near it. I could buy and renovate it, I have the money for that. And I’m thinking people would like to have a bookshop near the hospital, the books in the shop are always terrible. And it is close enough to the highschool and college.’

This was brand new information for Stiles. ‘A bookshop? Really? I… always thought you’d be … more into cars or something.’

Derek laughed sarcastically. ‘I can’t imagine what would make you think that. No, but really now. I always adored books, since I was little. And my mother always told us stories about how she worked in a bookshop before parenting became her full time job, how she enjoyed being surrounded by books. I definitely inherited that from her. And, you know, I can manage it business-wise, I do have my masters. I think people would like it, too. It’s a great place for a bookshop, really. It’ll be cozy, it’s not that big, but big enough to fit a decent amount of books and even a room where we could do signings or readings or something. And being next to Wonderland will help.’

‘You’ve really put a lot of thought into this.’, the Sheriff nodded.

‘Yes, sir. It seems like the right next step. Yeah, I’ve got the house up and done now, but I can’t sit around doing nothing, I’d go insane and… I need more roots here than just some walls. And, if I’m being completely honest, I know this would make mom and Laura happy.’

‘You are not painting in black. Or gray. None of that.’, Stiles tried to loosen the mood.

Derek rolled his eyes. ‘I was thinking red, actually.’


	4. Reports and soup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Sheriff knows (because in my head, he just HAS to know. everything.) and Stiles wants to curl into a ball and die.

After they’d finished dinner, Stiles got out the lemon cake he made. This time, Derek didn’t moan, but everybody was enjoying it.

‘So, how’s Peter?’, The Sheriff asked casually.

Stiles and Derek just stared at each other. The wolf must have heard the boy’s heartbeat picking up, because he stretched his feet till they were touching Stiles’. Surprisingly enough, the contact did calm him down.

‘Peter?’, Derek asked slowly.

‘Yeah, Peter Hale, your uncle. He stopped by the station last week. By the look on your face, I assume he hasn’t told you.’

‘No, sir, he did not.’

 ‘Oh. Well, after he explained everything, we figured out that the most plausible explanation for the report was that after he ran away from the hospital, he traveled, knowing that would make him feel better. He even managed to get papers from different doctors, saying he’s just manically depressed, but is taking his pills regularly.’

Derek kept nodding while the Sheriff was casually eating cake. The wolf realized something was wrong, but he couldn’t figure out what. There was no fear or distress coming of the older man, nor was he lying. Then Stiles kicked him under the table, having that look on his face, the one he always gets when he realizes something important.

‘Dad? You… you said you _figured out_ that this was the most plausible explanation for the report.’

‘Well, yeah, I couldn’t exactly close a missing person report with oh, he wasn’t missing, he just became an alpha werewolf after killing his niece and bit Scott and killed a bunch of people till his nephew killed him, but he’s fine now, since he came back from the dead with the help of a 17 year old girl.’

Derek was in shock. And the fact that he could smell Stiles’ fear didn’t help. He was speechless, what could he say? He should try to deny it, but if Peter already told him, that would be useless. And still, the Sheriff wasn’t afraid or mad. He was content. Derek knew he should be afraid, that the Sheriff of Beacon Hills knew he was a werewolf. But, somehow, he wasn’t.

‘I don’t understand.’ is all he managed to say.

He watched at Stiles carefully took the plate in front of him and moved it to the empty side of the table. Then the boy hit his head on the table, pretty hard, judging by the sound it made.

‘I’m dead. That’s it, right? It’s the only plausible explanation. I’m dead and this is Heaven. Or Hell? I’m not sure. Is this Purgatory? Dad, am I in Purgatory?’

‘Stiles, don’t be such a drama queen.’

The boy hit his head on the table again.

‘Stop that! Come on, I’ve known about this long before you have.’

‘What?’ Derek almost screamed.

‘The first day I became a Sheriff, the former one took me to the woods and we met with your father. He showed me…  he changed and he explained everything. And since you came back, Deaton’s been keeping me up to speed with the general outline of things. Truth be told, I wasn’t sure you knew, Stiles. I mean, yeah, thinking about it now, it was pretty obvious. But I kept hoping you didn’t actually know.’

Stiles and Derek were both looking down, feet still tangled under the table. The wolf could smell the guilt and embarrassment the boy was feeling, but he didn’t understand it.

‘Deaton never told me you were involved. Or Scott, or Isaac, Erica, Boyd, Jackson, Lydia. But now I’m fully up to date, Peter told me everything. I’m glad he did. We can all stop lying now.’

The Sheriff’s voice was soft, and Stiles got enough courage to look at him.

‘Dad, you have no idea how sorry I am for not telling you.’

‘You couldn’t tell me. Every normal person would have locked you up in a mental institution.’

Both the Stilinski men started laughing and even though Derek didn’t fully understand what just happened, the happiness Stiles was emanating made him at ease.

┘└

‘You’re feeling good today’, Derek said from his usual spot in Wonderland.

‘Yeah. Surprisingly enough, I am feeling pretty damn good.’ Stiles grinned and if Derek didn’t know better, he could have sworn his eyes flashed a worm amber for half a second.

‘What happened after I left, yesterday?’

Stiles spoke in a low, calm voice. ‘We talked. For hours. He asked me a lot of questions, things he didn’t understand and well… I told him everything. In full detail. Every little thing. Stuff that even Scott doesn’t know. Or you, or anyone. Once I started talking, I couldn’t really stop. It all came back, everything, since the first time we saw you in the woods till now. ‘

‘And what did he say?’

‘Not much. Not really. I don’t know, at some point, I think I was telling him about the mechanic’s garage and the pool and we were both crying and looking at mom’s pictures like they could save us. We’re idiots like that. Anyway, it all ended with Dad feeling like he is the worst father alive, saying I shouldn’t have gone through this Hell on my own. And me, like the shit son that I am… I never felt more relieved in my life.’

Derek frowned. ‘That’s doesn’t make you a bad son. Everything you did, say or didn’t say, you did it to protect him. And he knows that, I’m sure he does.’

Stiles looked into Derek’s eyes for a few seconds, then resumed staring outside the window. ‘Yeah. Anyway, this was way too much emotional info for you, I’m sorry. Uhm, bottom line, we’re good. We’re all good.’

Derek nodded. ‘Is it bad that I think this is … great?’

‘Huh?’

‘The Sheriff knows. Everything. I’m being selfish, but this might be the best thing that’s happened to the pack.’

Stiles laughed. ‘I’m not sure if it’s THE best thing, but yeah, it’s pretty awesome. I totally agree with you. And now I’m wondering if Isaac agrees or not.’

Derek rolled his eyes. ‘How did you know? It’s not like you can smell him.’

‘A truck passed carrying mirrors and I saw his reflection. Call me Sherlock.’

With that, Isaac stepped into Stiles’ view and came into the coffee shop. The wolf grabbed Stiles’ t-shirt and yanked him up the chair, pulling him into a strong hug.

‘Sherlock, this is great.’

‘Yeah, yeah, come on, get off, fragile human bones over here!’

Derek couldn’t wipe the dumb smile on his face even if he wanted to.

Stiles sat back down on his chair and started talking but the wolf put a hand on his forearm. ‘Shut up. Please.’

‘Why?’

‘I wanna hear what they’re saying.’

Stiles looked around and saw Isaac talking with Alice. ‘You’re such a big brother.’

Derek smiled, but didn’t say anything more. He was looking outside, but Stiles knew he was still listening in. The wolf’s hand was incredibly warm and that was the only thing that Stiles hated. All his friends were always so warm, and he had bad blood flow and his hands were always cold.

When he looked down at Derek’s hand, Stiles noticed he was wearing a ring. He hadn’t seen it before, it was a simple flat silver ring, with a triskele engraved.

Stiles started playing with the ring and Derek moved his eyes on to the boy’s long fingers.  Both of them snapped their hands back under the table when Alice yelled.

‘Stileeeeeeees.’

‘What? Why are you whining?’ The boy didn’t even bother to get up, because Alice and Isaac were both smiling like idiots.

‘Can we switch shifts tomorrow?’

‘Why?’

Isaac narrowed his eyes, giving his most evil look. ‘Because, Stiles. Because!’

Derek was barely holding back a laugh and as he got up, he gently gave Stiles a slap on the back of his neck.

‘Yeah, yeah, sure, boss.’  He then whispered ‘finally’, knowing Isaac will still hear him.

┘└

A few days later, when Derek got to the coffee shop, Stiles wasn’t there.

‘The usual?’, Alice asked with a kind smile on her lips.

‘Yes, please. To go.’

‘Stiles isn’t here, you know.’

‘Oh?’

‘Yeah, he called in sick this morning. He sounded terrible, but he said it’s just a cold. Poor kid, I thought he was dying for a second. I made him promise he’ll take some meds though.’

‘Oh. Ok. Then I’ll also have a white hot chocolate, please.’

Alice winked at Derek. ‘That doesn’t surprise me, not one bit.’

‘So, you’re all alone today? Can you handle it?’

‘Well’, the girl blushed and her heart beat was a bit faster. ‘Isaac said he’d stop by after school, give me a hand.’

Derek grinned. ‘That doesn’t surprise me, not one bit.’

┘└

‘No, I don’t want to open the door, go away!’, Stiles muttered as he made his way to the front door, because whomever was outside wouldn’t stop ringing the doorbell.

Stiles felt like he was dying. He had a fever, his throat was really sore and his head hurt. After he texted Alice this morning, he sat on the couch in the living room, cuddled up in a comforter, watching Supernatural reruns and oftenly falling asleep. He just wanted to curl into a ball and die.

When he finally got to the front door, still bundled in his comforter, he did not expect to see Derek there, with a bag of groceries and a coffee cup from Wonderland.

‘I got you hot chocolate. And some chicken soup and that way too spicy grilled cheese you like.’

Stiles had one hand on the door knob and the other one was holding his comforter. He was pretty self conscious and still sane enough to figure out he looked like crap, had a really stupid expression on his face and that he should probably say something. But he just stood there, looking at Derek.

‘Can I come in? Or are you just gonna stand there and look like a wounded pup?’

‘I don’t… Ugh. Come in.’

‘Here, have some hot chocolate.’ Derek handed Stiles the cup and closed the door behind him. He took of his shoes on the way to the kitchen. ‘Why don’t you go back on the couch while I heat these up?’

Stiles wanted to comment, but he was too tired. He did as Derek said and fell asleep immediately. He woke up 20 minutes later, when the wolf put his feet off the couch and handed him a bowl of soup.

‘What are you even doing here?’, Stiles asked as he brought his knees to his chest and started eating the hot soup.

‘Alice said you were sick and I know the Sheriff’s at the station. Knowing you, you probably forgot to eat.’

‘Maybe… ‘, Stiles blushed. ’Is this an alpha thing?’

‘Huh?’

‘Like… I don’t know, the need to take care of your pack, keep them protected and whatnot? Like bringing soup to a dying man's bed?’

Derek seemed to consider it, then smilde a little too mischievously for Stiles’ liking. ‘No, this is a Derek thing.’

‘Not that I mind, the soup’s great, thank you, but, uhm, I’m sure you have better things to do?’

‘Nope.’ He put his feet on the coffee table. ‘I actually wanted to talk to you about the book store. Do you feel up for that?’

‘Yup, yes, definitely. Shoot!’

‘Well. I bought it.’

‘Whoa. Really?’

‘Yup. I told Peter, and after he laughed at me for 10 minutes, he said he’ll help me with anything I needed. So, we made some plans and we’re gonna start working on it next month.’

Stiles was smiling so hard, his face hurt. ‘That’s amazing, Derek. Really. It’s fucking amazing.’

Derek smiled back and nodded. ‘Yeah. It is. Amazing. It feels a bit impossible, though.’

‘What? No, why?’

The wolf chuckled, but Stiles could see it wasn’t a real laugh. ‘After all the shit that happened to me in the past 8 years, after all we’ve been through, I’m seriously doubting if I’ll be able to do it.’

Stiles moved closer to Derek and put a hand on the couch, behind the wolf’s head. ‘Hey. Don’t. Just don’t, ok? Yeah, it’s been hell over and over again, but everybody needs a break, right? And everything’s good now, and you're all stronger. And, honesttly, when the Alphas left, I think they put out a warning or something, stay away from the Hale pack. Does that make sense? Because it’s been peace and quiet ever since.’

‘It’s been too quiet.’

‘No, no it has not. It’s been moderately quiet. Look, Derek. You’re one stubborn sourwolf and if you set your mind to something, you’ll do it. As always. And this, the bookshop, YOUR bookshop, it’s the best idea you’ve had since… the moment you bought your first leather jacket.’

Derek gave him a condescending look.

‘Really, I mean it. You’re doing this. It will happen, it will be amazing. And, just fyi, you won’t be doing it alone, cause you have your pack and I’m sure each and every one of us will help you as much as we can.’

Derek put his head back, until it was resting on Stiles’s hand. ‘You’d better.’

They spent the next hour talking about the bookshop, about Derek’s plans and ideas. Stiles never saw him so excited. He was talking fast and gesticulating and he couldn’t stop smiling. It made Stiles’ heart melt a bit, even though he’ll never admit it.

‘Dude, I’m getting sleepy again. I’m sorry.’

‘Ok’. Derek put a pillow on his thigh and took the remote.

Stiles fell asleep with Derek’s warm hand making circles on his back.


	5. Cakes and facepalms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles has a secret and then, he's an idiot.

Stiles had a secret. A secret that made him feel very very very excited. He was driving to Derek’s house for the usual Friday movie night and he couldn’t stop fidgeting, changing radio channels every 30 seconds and tapping rhythms on his steering wheel.

This was one bitch of a secret. It wasn’t that much, not really, but it’s extra hard to keep a secret when all your friends are werewolves. But, somehow, Stiles managed to do it. He had to tell Peter about it, and now he was getting anxious, hoping Derek’s uncle wouldn’t spoil it.

He got to the house 20 minutes earlier than usual, just as planned.  Peter was already waiting for him on the porch. The wolf told Stiles to be quiet, and so he did. They both carried the boxes Stiles brought in silence. But Peter was smiling and smirking the entire time.

When Derek got out of the shower, he could tell that Stiles, Scott and Erica were already there. Which was weird, because the wolves were always late. He thought something might be wrong, so he got dressed and skipped drying his hair.

He made his way to the kitchen, where the table was full of colored boxes; he could smell they were filled with sweets. Erica and Scott were putting sodas and beer in the fridge, while Peter was opening a bottle of wine. They all stopped when Derek came in, and now they were all looking at Stiles. Who was smiling so wide, nobody saw him smile like that ever before.

Derek was in shock. His mouth was open and his eyes were wide. Stiles could tell he rushed down from his shower, because his hair was still wet. He was standing in the doorway, eyes skimming all over the kitchen, until they landed on Stiles. They did that staring contest thing they do all the time now, but after a few seconds, the boy coughed awkwardly, in an attempt to bring Derek back to reality.

‘What?’, the Alpha asked, voice a bit too low, sight not leaving Stiles.

The boy started pointing at the boxes. ‘Chocolate cupcakes, lemon tarts, vanilla éclairs, chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, coconut and vanilla biscuits, and, what am I forgetting?  Oh, yeah, chocolate mousse cake!’

Derek’s expression hasn’t changed and he didn’t say anything. So Stiles went on.

‘Wine, beer and soda for us minors who could actually get drunk but hey, I’m not comment on that now. Isaac’s picking up Alice, she’ll bring the coffee, Dad’s picking up Ms. McCall, even though they said they can’t stay too long, cause they both have a morning shift tomorrow, but anyway. And Lydia told me to keep Skype open at all times, they’ll call as soon as they’re done with their classes.’

Derek closed his mouth with a pop and started blinking really fast. He still hasn’t moved.

Scott was the one to break the silence. ‘I still do not know what is happening.’

Stiles chuckled. Derek covered his face with his hands and started laughing. A loud, borderline manic laugh. Everybody was startled by the sound, because they weren’t used to hear their Alpha laugh this hard. Stiles was just happy to see Derek happy.

After 3 whole minutes of Derek laughing and the pack staring, Peter made his way to his nephew. He hugged him, even though Derek’s hands were still covering his face. ‘Happy birthday, kid.’

The Alpha hugged him back. ‘I actually believed you forgot.’

┘└

Everybody had a great time. They laughed, talked and ate all the cookies humanly possible. Derek’s living room looked like a war zone, empty cups and plates everywhere.

Everybody complemented Stiles on his cooking skills. Derek told him it’s the best cake he’s ever made and smeared half of slice on the boy’s face. While everyone else was laughing, Stiles bit playfully the wolf’s hand. Derek laughed even harder.

After the Sheriff and Ms. McCall left, Stiles took a bottle of red wine. He drank half of it alone, then Peter sat next to him, with a condescending look on his face.

‘I can’t hear you, Peter. Even if you say anything, I can’t hear you.’

‘If you end up throwing up, make sure you get to the bathroom on time.’

‘Hey, give me some credit, I don’t get drunk that easily.’

‘I’ll believe it when I’ll see it.’

Before she left, Alice pulled Stiles into the empty kitchen.

‘I don’t know how you did it. Well, no, I know HOW you did it, I don’t know WHEN you did it.’

‘I didn’t sleep last night.’

‘At all?’

‘Nope. The look on dad’s face when he came home from work at 5 am and found me in the kitchen, shirtless, dirty pots and pans everywhere, and me in the middle of them, singing The Killers and decorating the cake… Priceless.’

‘Why were you shirtless?’

‘It was soooo hooooot’.

‘Yeah, you’re insane.’

‘Aaaawh, you’re just figuring that out?’

Alice smiled and ruffled his hair. ‘Well, you did a great job. Really. I haven’t seen Derek laugh that much. Ever. Isaac agrees. And with those cheekbones, he should be smiling ALL the time.’

Stiles smiled. ‘I can’t argue with that.’

‘Well, kid, Isaac’s taking me home. He told me you’re all sleeping over?’

‘Uhm… If he said so, than yeah, I guess we are.’

‘Have fun. And don’t bother coming in tomorrow.’

‘No, boss, really, you don’t have to do that.’

Alice winked. ‘Isaac said he’ll come and help me out.’

Stiles rolled his eyes. ‘Oh, the sacrifices I make for young love.’

When they got out of the kitchen, Derek was giving Isaac the keys to the Camaro. Alice gave Derek a big hug and kissed him on the cheek. ‘See you later, birthday boy! I promise we’ll take care of your car.’

‘Oh, god, you’d better. Don’t make me regret this.’

┘└

By the time Isaac got back, Stiles was drunk and singing Bohemian Rhapsody with Erica from the top of his lungs. Scott was filming them with his phone, and Derek and Peter were on the floor, laughing.

Stiles does remember everything that happened after that, but it’s all a bit blurry. He knows that at 5 am, he was fighting with Isaac over… something. Then Derek lifted him up in a fireman’s hold and took him to his bedroom, dropping him on one side of the bed, because Erica was already sitting in the middle. Derek put some blankets over them and collapsed on the other side of the bed.

‘Dude, your bed is huge.’

Erica chuckled. ‘Big Alpha, big bed.’

‘Oh my god, go to sleep!’, Derek growled.

‘No, but really’, Stiles insisted, ‘why the hell do you need a bed this big?’

‘If my bed wasn’t this big, you would have been sleeping on the couch.’

‘Awwwh, Erica! Did you hear that? He loves us, he does, he thought about this before, aaaawh. Daddy loves us!’

‘You did not just say that!’, Erica put a pillow over her face, but Stiles could still hear her laughing.

‘Stiles, I swear to everything that is holy, if you call me that ever again, I will handcuff you to a pipe.’

‘Promise?’, Stiles voice was way too playful that he would have wanted.

Derek didn’t answer, but he put a hand over Erica’s hips and poked Stiles’ ribs. 

┘└

Stiles woke up because he was cold. He still wanted to sleep, so he decided to just ignore the cold. But he couldn’t ignore the headache.

‘Come on, sleepy head, it’s noon, wake up.’

He opened his eyes and saw Derek looking down on him. He was folding a blanket.

‘Did you really just steal my blanky?’

‘Technically, it’s my blanket. And I had to wake you up somehow, would you rather I’d howl next time?’

‘You smell like pancakes.’

Derek laughed softly. ‘I left you a toothbrush on the sink. If you hurry up, you might even get pancakes.’

When he got to the kitchen, Derek handed him a warm cup of coffee and a plate full of pancakes was already waiting for him.

‘Where is everybody?’

‘They left three hours ago.’

‘Oh. Peter?’

‘Out buying plastic plates and cups. Because, and I quote, _these damn teenagers are savages, I am never washing that many dishes ever again, why do we even have that many dishes, Derek, why_?’

Stiles blushed and laughed at Derek's impersonation of his unkle. ‘I’m sorry, dude. I was stupid, I drank too much, I should’ve helped with that.’

‘You didn’t drink that much. I have a feeling you could have gotten a lot drunker than that.’

‘Yeah, but still…’

‘No, after all you did, baking for a whole night, you deserved a break.’

‘Ah, of course you heard that.’

Derek smirked and Stiles ate the pancakes. He washed his dishes while the wolf kept singing Bohemian Rhapsody, dancing and poking Stiles in the ribs and back.

‘You’re the worst. The. Actual. Worst.’ Stiles dried his hands with a towel and turned around to look at the Alpha.

Derek sighed and quickly hugged Stiles. He had one hand on the back of the boy’s head and the other on his upper back.

Stiles chuckled and hugged Derek’s waist. It’s the only thing he could do, because the wolf was holding him in a really strong embrace, he couldn’t escape even if he wanted do. Which he didn’t, because he was warm and smelled like pancakes and aftershave.

Derek let go of him, but kept his hands on his shoulders. He looked straight into Stiles’ eyes and spoke in a soft and low voice, like he was telling a secret.

‘Thanks, Stiles. Thank you. I can’t remember the last time someone did anything for me, not like this. I haven’t had this much fun since forever and you… you… you are the actual best.’

‘You know what? Stop it right there. Just… Let’s make sure we do that more often because I have never seen you so happy and it is a thing that needs to happen as frequently as possible. Ok, sourwolf?’

Derek nodded. ‘Yes, please.’

They spent the day in the living room, eating leftover sweets and watching bad, old, horror movies. At one point, Stiles fell asleep. When he woke up, Derek was also sleeping, with his head on the boy’s thigh and his hand curled around his ankle.

But it was getting late, and Stiles wanted to go home and fix some dinner for when his Dad would finish working. Derek walked him to his jeep. They hugged one more time and the wolf had a concerned look on his face.

He looked into Stiles’ eyes for a few seconds, biting at the inside of his cheek. Then he looked at his shoes and cracked the knuckles on his right fist.

‘Stiles. … I think I love you.’

The boy’s heart skipped a beat and he involuntarily smiled. ‘Awh, buddy, I love you too.’ He punched Derek playfully in the shoulder.

The wolf smiled and looked up, one eyebrow raised. ‘That’s not what I meant.’ And then he turned around and walked back to the house.

Stiles was oblivious. He usually picked up things fairly quickly. He knew Scott was a werewolf before him, he figured out Kate was the one who set the fire before anyone else did, he even realized something was off about Matt. But this time, Stiles was an idiot.

It took him half a drive home to realize what Derek had actually said. It took him all night to accept it. It took him two minutes, in the morning, to realize he felt the same way. Or close to it.

┘└

They didn’t see each other for the next couple of days. Derek didn’t stop by the coffee shop anymore and Stiles was miserable. He was beginning to think that maybe he misunderstood the message. If Derek really felt that way, he should try to do something. But Stiles was the one that cut him off, so maybe he took that as a sure ‘no’.

Stiles was the biggest idiot in the history of ever. And he had no idea how to fix it.

He kept running throught possible scenarios in his head, how he should apologize and make Derek understand. That’s what he did all day, when the coffee shop wasn’t crowded. But none of his ideas were good enough.

That’s when Peter showed up and ordered a cappuccino.

‘I’m not used to seeing you around here.’

‘I’ve actually started working on the book store. Derek wanted to wait some more, but I was bored. So I figured I could start cleaning up the place.’

‘Oh. That’s… nice.’

‘Speaking about Derek.’ The wolf raised an eyebrow. ‘I don’t want to pry, but did anything happen between you two? After the party?’

‘Uhm… no?’

‘You don’t sound so convinced, Stiles.’

They boy rolled his eyes. ‘Did he say anything?’

‘No. But that’s the problem. He didn’t say anything. He doesn’t talk about you anymore and before, I couldn’t get him to shut up. Ever since he started coming here, you and the bookstore were the only things he talked about. I’m… I’m worried.’

Stiles was the biggest, oblivious idiot in the whole fucking world..

‘I’ll fix this.’

┘└

Thursday, after work, Stiles grabbed his and Derek’s usual coffee drinks and drove to the Hale house. The Camaro was parked in the front, so Stiles sat on the hood of his jeep and waited. He was nervous and embarrassed he was praying he wouldn’t screw this up more than he has.

When Derek came out of the house, he was wearing shorts and a simple white t-shirt. His hair was still a bit damp from a shower, probably. Stiles made sure to show him his best smile. ‘I brought you coffee. Since you didn’t come at all this week, I figured you missed it and it would be a perfect apology gift.’

Derek stopped in front of Stiles and took the offered drink. ‘What are you apologizing for?’

‘For being an idiot.’

Derek frowned. ‘I’m confused as to how _you_ were the idiot in this situation.’

Stiles got off of the jeep and took the two steps necessary to close the gap between him and Derek. He took the coffee cup out of his hands and put it on the ground. Derek was watching his every move with a raised eyebrow. But he didn’t complain or back up when Stiles put his hands around his waist and buried his face between the wolf’s neck and collar bone.

Derek was very tense and he did not move a muscle. Stiles thought he’d stopped breathing. But he wasn’t going to judge, because his own heartbeat was chaotic.

Stiles whispered, knowing the wolf will hear him. ‘I am the biggest idiot in the history of ever for not have figuring this out before. You came to see me every day. You listened to my nonsense, you took care of me, made sure I was ok. You agreed to meet my Dad. You smiled and you laughed and I thought all the random touching was a pack thing and it is, but you do to it me more than you do it to them and more than they do it to me and I… I’m an idiot.’

Derek sighed and clenched his jaw. ‘You have the most distracting heartbeat.’ He slowly moved his arms up, putting one hand on Stiles’ neck and another one between his shoulder blades. He moved the boy’s head and kissed him. It was quick and barely there, Stiles didn’t even have enough time to close his eyes before Derek pulled away.

The wolf seemed surprised, like he couldn’t believe he did that. If Stiles didn’t know any better, he would think Derek was scared. He pushed the boy a bit, just enough to get out of the embrace and he slowly take a step back. He didn’t look at Stiles, he kept his eyes glued to the ground.

So he was startled when the boy grabbed his wrist. He still couldn’t look at him, so Derek was staring at the way Stiles’ fingers were drawing small circles on his wrist.

‘No, Derek. Nope.’

The wolf looked up, confused.

Stiles smiled. ‘I’m not letting you run to the house again.’

Then, they were kissing. It was hard to tell who started it, but it didn’t really matter. This wasn’t like the first smack on the lips. Stiles’ right hand fingers were tangled with Derek’s, and this kiss was intense and kinda desperate, if anyone were to ask Stiles. Not that he minded.  With his free hand, he was gripping Derek’s shirt, holding him close, and the werewolf kept making circles on the back of Stiles’ neck. 

When Stiles bit on the wolf’s lower lip, Derek stopped the kiss, gasping for breath. They were holding hands, both of each other’s hands, and their bodies were close, so close but not touching.

Stiles opened his eyes.

‘Is this real life?’

Derek smiled. ‘Yes, please. If you… if you really… mean it. And want it.’

The boy moved until all his body was pressed to the radiator that was Derek, hands not moving from the wolf’s hold.

‘Yeeeeeees, sourwolf.’

Stiles was startled by Isaac screaming ‘OH MY GOD’ from the top of his lungs.

He was standing on the porch, jar dropped and eyes incredibly wide. Peter was next to him, smirking and with his arms crossed over his chest.

Isaac slapped his own forehead. ‘I can’t believe Alice figured this out and I didn’t’. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well then. THANK YOU ALL for reading! I hope you enjoyed this. I didn't, haha. But it did help me realize then if I ever write anything again, it needs a plot! So yeah.  
> Wanna befriend me on tumblr? I'm sssssssim over there, too. Hugs and kisses, lovelies.


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